Restorying of the Sandy Bay Indian Residential School

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Date
2025-03-27
Authors
Nienhuysen, Jamie
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Abstract

This thesis aims to uncover the untold history of the Sandy Bay Indian Residential School (SBIRS), located in the centre of Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation. Using community-based processes, I examine the intentions of government officials and missionaries in establishing and operating the school, the student experiences at the SBIRS, and the lasting impacts it has made. My research utilizes a collaborative approach that combines archival work, storytelling, and community-based historical documentary work. Throughout my research, I used Indigenous methodologies that prioritized Sandy Bay’s cultural protocols and values of reciprocity and respect. Throughout this process, community members were considered partners rather than subjects of research. This thesis reveals that the intentions of the government and missionaries were rooted in efforts to erase Indigenous culture, traditions, spirituality, and language. Survivors’ oral histories reveal that the students at the SBIRS were subjected to abuse, neglect, and isolation. These impacts continue to be felt, and Survivors’ offer suggestions for healing. This thesis contributes to the field of residential school literature by offering a localized history that is representative of Sandy Bay’s experiences and perspectives, challenging the colonial misrepresentations of residential school history. This narrative provides Canadians the opportunity to learn residential school history through a community perspective and offers Sandy Bay community members a deeper understanding of the historical transformations within the community and the lasting legacies of the residential school, which can adequately inform strategies for healing. Through this work, we commemorate Survivors, honour the lives of students who have passed, and begin a pathway toward healing.

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Keywords
Indian Residential School System, Indigenous Community History
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